


The Walk to Remember

by FitzGAYrald



Category: Legacies (TV 2018), The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cancer, F/F, Hosie, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-12 18:01:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28514619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FitzGAYrald/pseuds/FitzGAYrald
Summary: "There are moments when I wish I could roll back the clock and take all the sadness away, but I have the feeling that if I did, the joy would be gone as well."One incident leads Hope Mikaelson on the path of an Epic love story.
Relationships: Alyssa Chang/Hope Mikaelson, Hayley Marshall/Klaus Mikaelson, Hope Mikaelson & Josie Saltzman, Hope Mikaelson & Penelope Park, Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman, Keelin Malraux/Freya Mikaelson, Penelope Park & Josie Saltzman, Penelope Park/Lizzie Saltzman
Comments: 3
Kudos: 47





	1. Head Above Water

**Author's Note:**

> "Death is not the opposite of life but a part of it" - Haruki Murakami

The streets were quiet. The air was cool, as it usually is at one in the morning and the only noise to be heard was the sound of cars coming to an abrupt halt as they reached their destination. "Mystic Falls Founding Factory," the old beaten down sign reads as the group's cars approached.

Alyssa Chang was the first out of the car followed by Penelope Park who rode in the passenger side. “Hey, is he here?” Alyssa asked impatiently as she leaned against her car arms folded wearing the same bored expression as she usually does.

“No,” answered MG as he slammed the door of his own car looking around cautiously examining the old broken down building around them making sure they were alone.

“You probably scared him off,” smirked Penelope as she passed Alyssa making her way over to her girlfriend Lizzie. “I missed you,” she whispered as she buried her face into the taller blondes’ neck, wrapping her arms around her waist.

“Yeah yeah, you saw me like two hours ago,” replied Lizzie as she wrapped her arms around Penelope gently resting her chin on top of her head.

“Shhh” replied Park as she rotated the two so that they were facing their friends, breathing in her girlfriend's scent.

“Where the hell is he? I’m hungry and I gotta piss!” groaned Jed as he walked to the edge of the parking lot, back facing his friend as he attempted to pee on the side of the road.

“Yeah, as if you needed any excuse to pull that thing out right?” snarked Alyssa as she shook her head, closing her eyes in annoyance rubbing her forehead with her thumb and pointer finger as if trying to ease a migraine. Lizzie, MG, Penelope, and Kaleb chuckled as Jed answered with a dry ‘haha’ as his back faced the group and a tall middle finger pointed toward Alyssa.

“Where the hell is Mikaelson?” groaned Alyssa, snapping her hand away from her face and down to her car in a thud.

“Here she comes,” replied MG as Hope’s black 67 Camaro drove down the dirt road. Her music blasting in the background disrupting the once quiet night but, no one even seemed to care about discreteness or risk of being caught. She was Hope Mikaleson, she does what she wants when she wants it and answered to no one. All of her friends knew this and knew better than to ever question it, that's how their friendship worked. Pulling her car next to Kaleb's, once her car came to a complete stop she hopped out slamming the door shut. Looking around examining where they were she sighed. Her bright blue eyes focused on her surroundings and auburn hair reflecting the moonlight that shined above. She wore black jeans with rips along the sides exposing her knees and parts of her thighs. A black jacket worn only to compliment the old tee-shirt she wore underneath of some old band from the 90’s that none of her friends cared to know about and a pair of black military-style boots. Nothing too crazy but definitely a signature Hope Mikalson look.

“Ok,” she replied, finally making her way over to her friends. “Anyone got a beer?” She smirked, tapping on the hood of her car tilting her head slightly at MG who rolled his eyes. 

“Nope” answered Kaleb as he strolled over to Hope greeting her with their signature handshake. As if they haven't seen each other in years even though it had only been hours. “We finished them all back at school.”

“Besides, you had enough” commented Penelope who still rested warmly against Lizzie.

“Whatever,” said Hope “I’m surprised you left the comfort of Lizzie’s mouth to speak” she continued, teasing her best friend who stuck her tongue out back at her. Everyone chuckled at the two including Lizzie who swayed back and forth with her girlfriend in her arms. 

“I got one,'' answered Alyssa as she made her way over to Hope. “It's not cold but it's yours if you want it.” she continued with a seductive smirk leaning closer to Hope who smiled back at her raising an eyebrow. 

“Yeah Hope, All you gotta do is sit up, beg, roll over and shake your ass.” joked Jed as he hopped on top of his car hitting Hope on her shoulder too drunk to notice he was the only one laughing at the joke. Hope shakes her head awkwardly licking her lips wishing she had walked over to MG and Kaleb instead. Alyssa and Hope had hooked up a few times over the years but were never anything serious. Hope never did anything serious. She hated commitment and titles. Too many feelings, too many unneeded emotions, too much energy she thought. Alyssa knew that or at least the girl hoped she understood that. 

“Thanks, Jed… Thank you so much for your input,” replied Alyssa sarcastically as she stared daggers into the smug jocks head. 

“You're so welcome love, Anytime,” smirked Jed as he blew a kiss to the frustrated girl. 

“This is gonna be sweet,” commented MG.

“Yeah, I'm glad I thought of it,” said Jed patting his own self on the shoulder as he rose from laying down on the hood of the car.

“You guys are such dicks.” commented Lizzie finally separating herself from Penelope's arms and making her way over to the group.

“Hey, you know how it is,” stated Hope raising her hands in the air as she made her way over to Penelope, pressing her backside against the window of the car crossing her arms. “Nobody's forcing him to show up,” she explains taking a cigarette from her jacket pocket.

“What if he doesn't?” commented Penelope as she handed Hope a lighter. “I wanna go back to the dance” she complained. 

“Yeah, me too,” said Alyssa who was busy giving Hope doey-eyes as if asking her to leave and go back to the dance with her. 

“I don’t dance,” Hope said blankly, moving away from the girl. 

“She’s right, I’ve seen her dancing… it’s not pretty” chuckled Penelope. 

“Fuck you, Park,” replied Hope rolling her eyes at the girl as she took another pull of the cigarette. 

“I'M HERE!!” yelled a voice that quickly made its way over to the group. It was Landon. Landon Kirby. A junior from their school. A nobody. Jogging over to the group, Hope was given the chance to truly look at the boy. He was a decent height, around 5’8 with olive skin. He had short curly hair and warm hazel eyes. He was cute… for a guy she thought. 

“About time,” said Jed who hopped down from his car making his way over to the boy. “We said 1:15 dickhead,” he continued, brushing past Landon’s shoulder as he made his way over to the hole in the fence.

“I’m sorry,” he said leaning over, resting his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath. “ I had to walk and-” 

“It's cool,” said Hope cutting him off, wrapping her arms around the boy and dragging him along. “Let's go,” she says to everyone as they made their way through the hole in the fence and up toward the pier. 

“Let's fly.” jokes Kaleb spreading his arms out imitating a bird as they make their way along the water bank. 

“What exactly are we doing again here?” Landon whispers to Hope.

“I told you...initiation” she replied smoothly with a charming smirk, the famous Mikaelson smirk that always got things done the way she wanted. “I did it, Jed did it, Kaleb, MG, Park, and now you.” She lied trying to boost his confidence in them. “It’s simple,” she pauses as the group comes to a stop. “You see that pier up there?” She asks pointing to an old broken down pier on the side of the building about twenty-five feet above the dark water. 

“Yeah….” replied Landon slowly as MG and Jed chuckled in the background bumping into one another. 

“You’re gonna climb up there and jump into the water… fly” she chuckled with her hands on her hips. Her thumbs looped through the belt buckle holes in her pants.

“How deep is it?” Landon asks looking over the water bank onto the murky water below.

“I don’t know,” she replied honestly, shrugging her shoulders not really caring. “Let's find out,” she said kicking her boots off and taking off her jacket. “Come on let's do this,” she said, knocking Landon back into reality. “It'll be cake, man. Hell, I'm jumping with you,” she replied, lightly hitting him in the stomach as she took off her shirt and pants revealing her black sports bra and briefs.

“Okay,” Landon replied, trying to convince no one but himself. “Ok, let's do this'' he said taking off his clothes stacking them in a neat pile on the side of the water. Hope chuckled, shaking her head. ‘Nerd’ she thought to herself, already making her way over to the pier ladder. 

At the top Landon could see the outline of Mystic Falls. It was peaceful up here...quiet. 

“JUMP” yelled Jed from below. 

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” whispered Lizzie to her girlfriend who held her hand.

“Neither do I.” replied Penelope who shivered as a cool Fall breeze brushed against her lower back. The two felt helpless and most importantly powerless as the wants and cheers of the group outmatched their own. All they could do was watch and pray Hope knew what she was doing. 

“JUMP. JUMP. JUMP” cheered Alyssa and Jed.

“DON'T YOU WANT TO BE ONE OF US” committed MG as he sat on a nearby rock. 

“One of you,” Landon whispered shivering with fear and uncertainty. Hope came up to his right looking at him feeling kinda bad for what she and her friends were doing. There was no way he would be one of them. He was a junior, a dork, and certainly too boring and kind to be one of them. A part of her wished he would chicken out and return back down to the ground, gather his stuff and leave but she knew he wouldn't. He had too much faith in them to leave. He trusted them, he wanted to be them. He was a fool. Another person that fell victim to the desire to be popular and apart of the 'it' crowd. A fate that, if Hope was being honest, she hated herself. The constant looks, the harmful whispers as she walked down the halls of Mystic Falls High, the image she had to convey, the legacy. It was like her own personal hell. He wasn't the first person they embarrassed and he probably wouldn't be the last but for some reason, she felt sorry for him. More sorry than the rest. Maybe it was the innocence in his eyes or the way he believes that they were the people to aspire to be. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it was too late. They were already here. The deed had to be done. Maybe after this, the boy would learn to not trust so easily and to appreciate the life he has, no matter how boring. Maybe.

“You got this” she whispered to him, trying to break his gaze with the horizon. “You’ll be ok,” she continued. As his eyes finally met hers. 

“I'll be okay.” He whispered almost as if asking her.

“Ready?” she questioned looking ahead. “On Three." She said.

“One,” she said softly. 

“Two,” he replied taking a deep breath

“Three,” they said in unison as she watched him dive headfirst off the pier alone. The Groups laughter could be heard from where she stood twenty-five feet above the water. 

“THAT WAS FUCKING AWESOME” yelled Jed high-fiving Kaleb happily.

The group cheered… well some of the group as they waited for him to resurface. Poor kid, she thought looking down at the water waiting to see his sad face come up for fresh air. A second passes…. he should be up by now. The cheers stop and everything goes quiet. Finally, he resurfaces. His body still in the water as he floats with the tide. His face down.

‘Somethings wrong’ she thought, breaking herself out of her trance quickly making her way down the ladder and into the water to get him.

“HOPE!!” Penelope yells racing toward the water with the group. 

“Guys, he’s hurt!” Lizzie yells bringing the guys back to reality. “Come on man,” Kaleb said worried as if begging Landon to move.” Come on,” he whispered.

“HOPE, GET HIM OUT OF THE WATER” yelled Penelope as Lizzie held on to her preventing her from jumping into the water herself. 

By the time the group reached the edge of the water Hope had already reached Landon. He was face down and very still. Too still. She reached down in the water and her hand connected with something hard. Iron like. “Guys,'' she said, pulling his body toward the side of the water bank with her. The back of his head resting on her shoulder as she tries to swim to the group. His blood trickling onto her shoulder. ”There’s a pipe in here," she says as reality sets in.

MG had already climbed in to help her with Landon. When they reached the side everyone crowded around and watched anxiously as she took his face in her hand. “He’s bleeding,” she said, checking for a pulse. It's weak but there nonetheless. 

“Is he dead?” whispered MG as he leaned down toward the boy. 

"IS HE DEAD HOPE?" yelled Lizzie waiting for a reply.

"No... I-I don't think so" She stuttered. Penelope looks at her with wide eyes. In all of their years of friendship, Hope has never stuttered. 

“What do we do?” Jed asks fearfully; probably thinking of his football scholarship rather than the boy unconscious on the ground. Just then an yellow light illuminated the teen's face. It was the building security guard moving toward the group at a swift pace. It was dark and he was across the water bank so he couldn't see their faces properly, but he knew they were there. Hope was too busy focusing on the boy to even notice the shift in the air.

“We've got trespassers in the old founders building, Send a squad car out here,” said the guard into his walkie.

“Fuck, it's the guard, we have to leave,” Alyssa says, grabbing Kaleb's arm pulling him toward the cars. 

“We can’t just leave him,” said Penelope and Lizzie as Jed pushed the pair to the cars.

“Come on Landon,” she whispered still with the boy. Her eyes darting between the boy and her friends as they get in their cars. The blood from the boy's face trickling down onto the sidewalk creating a small puddle. Her friends already in the car starting their engines by the time sirens could be heard in the distance. 

“WE HAVE TO LEAVE!” yelled Jed as he pulled out of his parking spot with Alyssa in the passenger seat careful not to say the girl's name. The guard may have seen people but they probably have no idea who they were and he wanted to keep it that way. They were the first to leave, followed by MG and Kaleb. Lizzie and Penelope did not want to leave, Hope could tell, but they had to. 

“FUCK! ” she yelled leaving the boy side collecting her clothes and running toward the hole in the fence. “What did I do? What did I do?” She asked herself as she tried to focus her hand to start her car. She was shaking, her whole body was shaking in fear, not just for herself but for the boy. They had left him, she had left him... alone and broken. Just as she had mustered up enough stamina to put the key in the ignition, red and blue lights lit up the sky. Her piercing blue eyes grew in fear as she watched the cop's cars pile into the abandoned parking lot. 

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck” she whispered to herself as she finally started the car and pushed the gas. Her mind focused on trying to navigate herself through the line of police and the boy she had left behind. Her eyes were still blurry from the combination of pier water and sweat as she zoomed past two cop cars driving toward her. She took her eyes off the road ahead for a few seconds to look in the rearview mirror to see what the officer's next move would be. would they chase her? Will they see Landon? Do they recognize her car? Mystic Falls is a small town she reasons. Not many people drive a 67 Camero. She's so fucked. she thinks to herself. As soon as her eyes returned back to the road ahead she was met with a large tree and the sound of glass shattering around her. 

Fuck indeed.


	2. A Waiting Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Darkness, real darkness, was more than just a lack of light.” — Kami Garcia

The sound of pots and pans crackling together woke Hope from her sleep. Her body hurt, everything hurts as memories of the prior night and current morning came rushing back to her like a flash flood. Her friends, the coolness of the water, the accident...the boy. Everything. Just. Hurt. 

It was bright outside, so bright that even the dark tent of her curtains offered little to no help with the sun rays entering her room. Hope turned her head looking over to the small clock standing on her nightstand. '8:23 am’ it blinked in bright red colors. She let out a quiet groan as the pounding in her head grew more and more prevalent. The sounds from downstairs only continued resulting in her flipping over in the bed to lay on her back. Once there, she stared at the white ceiling above thinking about everything that happened last night, her life, the life of the boy, more importantly, the pounding in her head and the soreness of her body. Small cuts and scrapes from the exploding windshield glass decorated her arms and a rather large bluish-black bruise rested on her side; but, other than that, she was fine, which is more than what she knew for the fate of Landon. 

‘Last night was bad.... really bad,’ she thought closing her eyes reliving every event that happened over the course of 24 hours. Her friends, the drinking, the prank...Landon. It was all like a bad dream playing over and over again in her head. The memory of her aunt's faces as she laid handcuffed in the hospital bed as the police officer explained to them what happened or, at least what they suspected happened. The silence of the room as the doctors explained the injuries she sustained in the accident to her family while molding a white cast on her left arm. Of everything that happened last night, the silence of the hospital room is what really stuck with the girl, other than Landon. She could tell her aunts were disappointed in her. Her Aunt Freya was never one to quietly stare in disappointment yet, that seemed to be the only thing she could do at the moment. While her Aunt Keelin was too busy updating the rest of the family for the girl to get a good read, she could tell she was disappointed as well. She could only imagine how the other members of her family reacted to the news. She hated disappointing people, especially her family. Family was the only thing keeping her sane nowadays and without them, she feared what she would do… or what she would become. 

Letting out a short sigh, Hope rose from the bed and set on its edge giving her body time to adjust to the sudden movement. She grabbed her phone from the nightstand and reads the endless texts from her friends asking if she was ok? or what had happened. Most were from Penelope, Lizzie, and MG. One was from Jed begging her to keep quiet. With that, she rolled her eyes and threw the phone back on the bed. 'fucking ass' she thought. Subconsciously she knew sooner or later she had to go downstairs and face the music but the longer she sat there the more afraid she became, although never admitting that to anyone but herself. Taking in one more breath of air she mustered up enough strength to lift herself from the bed and stand on her own two feet. She wobbled in place at first, but ever so slowly, she limped to the bathroom where she was given a chance to truly look at herself in the mirror. What she saw she didn't really recognize. Bags under her eyes, a bandage on her forehead, small cuts along her face. The stranger in the mirror was someone she had grown to hate, fear, and ultimately accept. The whiteness of her eyes was a dark pinkish color, evidence of the stress and sleepless night she had experienced. Her eyes, once bright blue beacons, were now dull and almost lifeless. This was the new Hope. This was her reality she came to realize, gripping the sink so tightly that the knuckles of her hands began to turn a bright red color. Even with the pain in her left arm, Hope was too afraid to let go, to upset with herself, too... afraid. Snapping out of her trance, Hope finally released the sink and with a deep breath prepared herself for the reckoning that awaited her downstairs. Grabbing a random bottle of pills from her hidden stash, she chugged three small pink pills and left the bathroom; waiting for the drugs to take effect.

The sounds from downstairs grew louder as she made her way to the kitchen. Inside, her Aunt Keelin's sat at the table reading what appeared to be medical notes for a case Hope only assumed she was about to perform in the upcoming days. Her aunt was an ER doctor at Whitmore Hospital, that's how she met her other Aunt and soon-to-be wife Freya. The first time the two met was a result of a terrible accident that had shaken the foundations of the Mikaelson Family to their core. Hope was ten when it happened but she remembers that day clearly. Her father, Klaus planned a family dinner, as he usually did every Sunday. Growing up, the closeness of the family was always an important subject for Klaus. In the Mikaelson family, the family is everything. Weekly family dinners was his own special way of keeping the family together no matter how old each member got. This particular day was dark, gloomy even and it had been raining all day long but the family gathered anyway. Everyone had already arrived, her Aunt Rebekah and boyfriend Marcel, Her uncle Kol and wife Davina, Her uncles Elijah and Finn, Her mother Hayley and Klaus were busy in the kitchen; with the soft sounds of jazz music played in the background. Everyone was having a good time waiting for the rest of the family to show, and by rest, she meant Freya and her Fiance Carter. It was about six when her father got a call from Freya explaining the twos' car broke down and they needed to be picked up. Her father was already reaching for his keys when his brother Elijah volunteered to go for him, stealing the keys from his hand and heading toward the door tossing them to Finn. Finn agreed to tag along with the faint promise to be back with the pair in a few minutes, but they never returned. 

Minutes turned into hours and after several unanswered phone calls, the Mikaelson clans' worry grew more and more. It was at 8:47 pm when the phone rang, Hope remembered this small detail specifically because as a child, whenever she was stressed or anxious, or even afraid her father always instructed her to look at a clock; not any clock but an atomic clock to be specific. ‘Watching time pass always calms a person down’ her father would say. 'makes you realize how small a person's problems can be,' she remembers. That's what she was doing when she heard the screams of her mother when news broke, watching the clock, calming her nerves.

Being hit on the driver's side Finn died instantly upon impact. Elijah died once on the way to the hospital and finally on the operating table. Carter was declared brain dead later that night. Freya was severely hurt and rushed into surgery straight from the accident. It was definitely a long night but she made it through surgery only to be met with the realization that in one second, Freya had lost four of the most important people in her life. Two of her younger brothers, her husband, and her small son who she had been secretly carrying. The two were planning on sharing the happy news that she was pregnant at the family dinner but, sadly that moment never came. The road to recovery was long and Freya closed herself off to everyone, everyone except her doctor Keelin. Keelin was kind, sweet, and more specifically patient. She was Freya's friend long before the two became lovers, without Keelin's support, Hope honestly doubts that Freya would have survived all the loss her family had endured. First with Finn, then Elijah and Carter, their unborn son, then… Hayley and Klaus. No one can survive all that loss alone, if they do they would only become a hollowed version of themselves, a stranger, a remnant of what they used to be; like she had become herself. Lost in darkness.

The girl was lost in thought when a subtle clearing of the throat brought her back to reality. Bringing her eyes up from the floor she was met with the stares of both her aunts. Hope was unsure how much time had passed during her small walk down memory lane because by the time she realized it her aunt Freya had moved from her spot at the stove and sat down with her wife at the table. Taking another deep breath, Hoped limped to the dining table and sat silently with her aunts.

For the first few minutes, the trio sat in silence; doing their best to avoid the giant elephant in the room. After five minutes had passed the silence in the room was interrupted by the sound of Freya letting out a deep breath; one that sound like she had been holding in for far too long. Looking up, Hope’s eyes met with Keelin, silently communicating with one another. Hope's eyes begged for her aunt Keelin to help fix the problem she had created but all her aunt's eyes could do was look sadly back at her. Just as fast as she could blink her aunt was out of her seat and at the sink, back facing the two as she washed the dishes in the sink. Cleaning every surface in sight, something the blonde did when she was nervous or upset. Taking a deep breath Hope mustered up enough courage to finally speak. 

“Aunt Freya I-” she started

“How could you?” Freya asked almost in a tired voice, interrupting the girl mid-sentence. Her head down and arms resting along the sink, her body still facing away from her wife and niece. Hope was lost for words, she didn’t know how to reply, what words would make this better, her actions better. Just when she thought she was finally able to form a sentence or even try to justify what happened Freya turned around to face the two. Arms crossed with tears rising in her eyes, “brain damage Hope," she replies almost in a whisper, eyes pouring into her nieces, her long blonde hair resting on her shoulder. “Somebody's son is laying in a hospital bed with wires and tubes down his throat trying to help him breathe and I am trying to understand-” she pauses as if trying to find the will to continue. “I’m trying to understand what happened,” she pauses again walking closer to the two, “more specifically how the HELL could you be involved in something like this?” she questions, searching for answers on the girls face and in her eyes. By now, tears were freely flowing down her cheeks. Keelin, seeing that her wife was in distress, reached over and took her wife's hand in her own. The glasses she was wearing resting on the bridge of her nose as her thumb rubbed small circles on Freya's hand. She hated seeing her wife upset, it made her feel powerless and Keelin despised being powerless, especially when it came to protecting her wife.

“Hope, What happened?” Keelin asked, bringing her attention to the girl. Since meeting Freya, her love for the girl and the Mikaelson family had grown unexpectedly. Since the passing of Hayley and Klaus, Keelin thinks of the girl like a daughter, and the thought of her partaking in something like this contradicts the little girl she's grown to know and love. Growing up, Keelin was never close to her family. She was a product of the foster system and always dreamed of having a large family to come home to. She was appreciative that when she met Freya, the Mikaelson Clan welcomed her with open arms. She had finally been blessed with a family and a family that she felt was worth fighting for. Seeing her niece and wife like this hurt but it needed to be done, they needed to get to the bottom of this. They needed answers.

"It..." Hope paused as if searching for the right words; debating whether or not, to tell the truth or lie. Her hands felt clammy and the pounding in her head had returned, even after taking the drugs from earlier. Her throat felt dry as if she hadn't drunk in days and worst of all there was an uncomfortable itch buried underneath her cast that she could not reach. After weighing her options, the girl figured she was already in trouble, she wasn't sure if her aunts could handle the truth of the events and the reality of the part she played. If she could handle saying what she did out loud. In front of her were two of the people she loved the most, the last few members of her family she had left. She couldn't afford to lose them too, so she lied. An action that she had grown used to for some time now. Lying about where she was, the things she was doing, the people she was with, the drinking, the drugs. It was as if everything she'd become was twisted and decorated in a sheet of lies only detectable to her own self-acknowledgement. 

"We were just hanging out," Hope lied, too afraid to tell the truth. 

"Who's 'we?’" Freya asked with a mixture of sadness and anger in her voice. Freya doubted that the girl was alone when the incident occurred but she wasn't one hundred percent sure and neither were the police. It was this uncertainty that was keeping Hope out of prison. No one knew for sure what happened yesterday, other than the people who were caught trespassing, other than Hope and the boy. The security guard was too far away to see how many people were there. With the boy being unable to tell his side of the story, the truth of the night laid entirely on Hope’s shoulders. The only person that was caught at the abandoned building was Hope and the boy. Although Freya and Keelin suspected there were others there last night, there was no proof. Only Hope’s word and in their eyes, her words held little merit. 

Hope gulped silently and unsuspectingly to herself. Looking down at the tablecloth her fingers traced patterns along its surface. “It was just me and him” she replied with a blank face and a smooth voice still unwilling to break eye contact with the cloth. “We were walking and saw the old building with a pier on the side,” she paused. 

“He said we should go for a swim and that we’d be ok.” she continued tracing the patterns one last time. “He saw the ladder and said he wanted to jump.” Images of the two on top of the ladder flashed in her mind but she shook them away, finally looking at her aunts, “I told him not to... but he said he would be okay,” she lied trying her best to convince her aunts that she was telling the truth, that she didn't do the things they suspected, that she wasn't a bad person.

“He jumped and hit his head, I pulled him from the water to see if he was ok but then the security guy came,” she paused again thinking for a second. “I got scared and ran… I wanted to stay with him… I should have stayed with him” She whispered, that part was true, she wanted to stay, she should have stayed.

"Is he gonna be alright?" She asked Keelin, partially afraid of the answer. Keelin was a doctor, she should know how serious this was; how serious his condition was.

"They rushed him into surgery late last night." She replied, brows bunched together as if debating what to tell the girl. "They managed to get the bleeding to stop, but now is just a waiting game." she finished.

'A waiting game' Hope thought to herself. Her head turned slightly to the old clock on the kitchen wall studying it as its hands turned. 'Only a matter of time' she thought to herself. Part of her felt both relieved and afraid at the news. It was a waiting game, a game to see how long until the boy wakes up... if he even wakes up at all. A waiting game to see how long she can keep up with the lies she told or before the truth is uncovered and she loses the love of her family forever. ‘Only a matter of time’ she repeated in her head, eyes still following the clock.

A sniffle brought Hope back to reality. It was Freya’s, who sat there quietly to her right analyzing her niece. The girl she had practically raised as her own. Freya’s green eyes held so much hurt, sadness, and anger that the girl thought she was going to either explode or cry right then and there. Finally, she spoke in a small cracking voice barely above a whisper. 

“I don’t believe you.” Freya said in a small voice with a single tear sliding down her cheek. “We can't do this anymore Hope.” She said, shaking away the tears. “I can't do this anymore,'' she clarified.“I thought when Hayley and Klaus died that you just needed time, Time to heal, a place to hurt and I could give you that,” She paused again as if afraid of her own words. “We’ve looked past the drinking, and the grades, and the endless parade of girls you think you have been sneaking out of the house early in the morning because we knew you were hurt...but this” she paused again letting the anger take over. “Now it's clear that you are not only okay with hurting you but the people around you and I WILL NOT ALLOW IT!” she yelled at the end startling both the girl and her wife wiping away her own tears. “This is your last straw.” She said with a strong voice. 

“What does that mean?” Hope asks, her brain finally registering her aunt's words. 

“You're on probation Hope.” Keelin pauses, hands still gripping her wifes as a lastage effort to try and calm her wife down. “We managed to talk the owner of the building out of pressing charges but this is your last strike,” Keelin explained shaking her head, trying her best to hold back tears.

“Both here and outside.” Freya continues. “I love you Hope...With all my heart. You are all I have left of Klaus and of Hayley. You are my heart but I can’t do this anymore.” she pauses, blinking away a few stray tears. “We thought maybe you just needed time after what happened, that you needed time to heal and to hurt and we gave you that but not any more…” she paused again looking Hope in the eyes with a seriousness she had never seen before. Freya rises from her seat taking her wife with her. “I talked to Rebekah and Kol and they agreed…” she pauses again. “One more incident, one call, one more fight, or any more drugs, and you're gone… We're sending you to military school,” she says then leaves the room dragging Keeling along with her. Probably aware that Keelin would try to comfort the girl afterward.

Hope was alone. Freya didn't believe her or in her. She blinked away some more tears rising from her seat and making her way upstairs. Locking the door behind her she grabs her headphone and stash from the bathroom. Inside she finds exactly what she needs. A bottle of Oxy. With music blasting in her ear she pops a single pill in her mouth. 

She needed to escape. She needed a release.   
Maybe this is what she deserves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you like it. This story is based on the movie, "A Walk to Remember" but will not follow the movie/book exactly.
> 
> I will try to update every week
> 
> Let me know what you think: this is my first Fic so please be nice, I am a gentle soul.
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @FGayrald

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you like it. This story is based on the movie, "A Walk to Remember" but will not follow the movie/book exactly. 
> 
> I will try to update every week
> 
> Let me know what you think: this is my first Fic so please be nice, I am a gentle soul. 
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @FGayrald


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